Loader for an incinerator



Dec. 30, 1969 BAKKER ETAL LOADER FOR AN INCINERATOR Filed Oct. 14, 1968R. rw N e r z md my; m /f M4 M2 Mmafl arm 1 7% M United States Patent3,486,644 LOADER FOR AN INCINERATOR Lubertus Bakker, James C. Conde, andEugene D. Krumm,

Wellsville, N.Y., assignors to The Air Preheater Company, Inc.,Wellsville, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 14, 1968, Ser.No. 767,204 Int. Cl. B23]: 5/00; F23g 5/00 US. Cl. 214-23 9 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of theinvention This invention relates to a feeding mechanism for trash andrefuse or the like where it is moved from a collection bin into anincinerator where it is consumed.

Description of prior art In the many operations employing the combustionof fuel the leakage of smoke and gases from the combustion process beingcarried out within the incinerator back to the surrounding atmospherehas constituted a real problem as expressed in US. Patents No. 1,925,249and No. 3,303,946. Although the slightly negative pressure maintainedwithin the combustion chamber of a furnace usually creates a normal flowof gas into the furnace and out the stack of the furnace into the upperatmosphere, the prob lem of polluting the atmosphere around the furnacestill exists. Especially is this true when warranted by unstableconditions as may result, for example, when an excessive amount ofmaterial such as wet garbage is fed into the combustion chamber of theincinerator. Improper combustion may result in the production ofexcessive gas and smoke at slightly elevated pressures which may findits path of least resistance back through an open loading door to thespace surrounding the incinerator.

In this day of increased attention to the pollution of our atmosphere bysmoke and fumes of all types it is important that ways be found topreclude what may be an accidental or occasional discharge to theatmosphere of combustion gases or the simple escape of combustion gasesthrough an open loading door when a charge of material is being loadedtherethrough into the incinerator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention therefore relates to afeeder arrangement for an incinerator that precludes the passage ofsmoke therethrough from the housing enclosing a chamber having anincomplete combustion of refuse placed therein.

The invention generally provides for an arrangement of cooperatingfeeder members or pivoted doors, one of which is continuously covered byan imperforatesealing cover while the other thereof is adapted tocompress a mass of refuse or trash sufliciently to offer a substantialresistance to the passage of gas therethrough. The refuse is compressedin a confined hopper or passageway to the incinerator and is arranged inthe feeder to offer increased resistance to the flow of gas as thecompaction of material being moved therethrough increases. Thus, thefeeder door having the sealing cover is normally closed to preclude3,486,644 Patented Dec. 30, 1969 the leakage of smoke therethrough, butas it opens the compaction of refuse in the hopper increases itsreslstance to the leakage of smoke so that the smoke and gases generatedin the housing have little chance of escaping to the atmosphere.

A more complete understanding of my invention may be realized byreferring to the following description which may be reviewed inconjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the loading mechanism attached to anincinerator housing, and

FIGURES 2, 3, and. 4 are schematic drawings indicating various steps inthe operating sequence of the device of FIG. 1.

THE INVENTION In the drawing the numeral 10 indicates the housing of anincinerator having a loading port or opening 12 through which theincinerator is to be charged with trash or refuse. A loading door or ram14 is pivoted at 16 at the upper edge of the opening 12 whereby it isadapted to swing downwardly over arcuate compaction door 36 and advancerefuse compacted thereby into the incinerator and close the opening tothe flow of gas and smoke.

An arcuate hopper 26 is arranged with an axial edge 28 thereof alignedwith the bottom edge of the port 12 in the housing 10. The hopper 26 isarranged to tightly abut the housing adjacent the port to preclude theleakage between abutting members of gases generated within theincinerator.

An end plate 30 abuts each end of the arcuate hopper 26 and extendsvertically along the lateral sides of the port 12 to provide end wallsfor the hopper and walls adjacent opposite ends of the loading door 14.An imperforate cover plate 22 abuts the housing 10 along one edgethereof over the port 12 and extends diagonally downward at adeclination of about 45 to the approximate lateral midpoint of the endplates 30 to provide a cover over the loading door 14 as it is moved toan open position and thus preclude the escape of gas and smoke from theincinerator directly to the atmosphere.

The end plates 30 support bearing means at either end position at theprojected center of the arcuate hopper 26. By this arrangement acompaction member 36 secured to a rod 38 is rotatable in the bearings ofthe end plates so that it may rotate in the arcuate hopper 26 and fromthe load position shown in FIG. 2 to a feed position shown in FIG. 4whereby trash placed in the hopper 26 may be advanced or fed to theincinerator by the loading door 14. As the trash is so advanced it isalso compressed so that it offers increased resistance to fumes escapingfrom the open incinerator port 12 back through the refuse being fedthrough the hopper.

The hopper 26 may be secured to the housing 10 of the incinerator as apermanent accessory or it may be mounted on suitable rollers or casters52 whereby it may be temporarily moved into position adjacent thehousing 10 and used as needed.

Conventional control apparatus responsive to movement of the compactionmember 36 within the hopper 26 and the loading door 14 may be adapted tooperate the respective members in the proper sequence desired. Thuscontrol apparatus may be designed to operate in response to movement ofplate 36 to provide for complete opening and closing of the loadingdoor. Similarly switching means may be actuated by the arm 52 on theshaft 38, while the relative movement of the several members isdependent upon a predetermined sequence desired.

The operating sequence is started by a complete closure of the loadingports 12 by loading door 14 and a complete opening of the hopper 26 bymovement of the compaction door 36 to an extreme upper position shown inFIG. 1 whereby a load of trash or rubbish may be placed into the hopperwithout interference with the compaction door. When the hopper isproperly loaded the compression member 36 is actuated by closure of theproper controls 37 and the motor means 40 accordingly acts throughtransmission means 42 to rotate the member 36 about its axis or pivot 38to slowly compress the trash in the hopper 26. After the compactionmember 36 has moved downwardly to partially compact the rubbish, acircuit in a conventional timer 46 is completed and the loading door 14of the incinerator is actuated by motor 44 to move it to an openposition. The door 14 is thus moved to an open position whereby thelower edge thereof lies adjacent the compaction member.

The compaction door 36 continues to rotatably swing on its pivot 38until it lies adjacent the lower edge of por 12, whereupon suitableswitching means in controller 46 is operated to Open the circuit tooperating means 40 and thus terminate movement of the compaction member36 and commence actuation of the operating means 44 and the connectedloading door 14. As the loading door 14 closes it sweeps the compactedrefuse resting upon the compaction door 36 through the port 12 and intothe incinerator housing 10. Upon closure of the port 12 by door 14 thecompaction member is returned to its open position whereby trash mayagain be loaded into the hopper 26 in preparation for another feedingcycle.

While we have shown and specifically described one embodiment of ourinvention, it will be understood that various changes may be embodied inour invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Thus, while electric operating and switching means is disclosed inconnection with the invention, it is to be understood that equivalentmechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic means can be used without resortingto invention. It is therefore intended that all material shown in theaccompanying drawings or described in the accompanying specificationshall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limited sense.

We claim:

1. In an incinerator comprising a housing with a loading port at oneside thereof, a collection hopper with an arcuate bottom surfaceadjacent the loading port of the housing, an arcuate compaction memberpivoted at the projected center of said arcuate hopper, means for ID-tating the compaction member about its pivoted support within the hopperto compress rubbish placed in the hopper, a loading door pivoted on theincinerator housing and arranged to close the loading port, said loadingdoor pivotally attached to said incinerator and having an arcuatemovement substantially concentric to the arcuate surface of thecompaction member, means for moving the loading door about its axis, andimperforate means cooperating with said loading door adapted to directfumes from the incinerator through the collection hopper and the rubbishcompressed therein when the loading door is moved to open the loadingport of the incinerator.

2. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 wherein the imperforate meanscooperating with the loading door of the incinerator comprises a coverplate that abuts the incinerator housing adjacent the pivot for theloading door and extends to a point adjacent the pivot for thecompaction member.

3. In an incinerator having a housing with a loading port at one sidethereof, a collection hopper with an arcuate bottom surface adjacent theloading port, an arcuate compaction member pivoted to fixed support atthe projected center of said arcuate hopper, means for rotating thecompaction member about its axis within the arcuate hopper to compressrubbish placed in said hopper, a loading door arranged to close theloading port, said loading door pivotally attached to said incineratorand having an arcuate movement similar to the arcuate surface of thecompaction member, means for moving the loading door about its axis, andcover means over said loading door adapted to direct fumes from theincinerator' through the collection hopper and the rubbish compressedtherein when the loading door is moved to open the loading port of theincinerator.

4. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the arcuate surface ofthe compaction member when moved to .the edge of the hopper adjacent theloading port is substantially concentric with the surface generated bymovement of the loading door as it is pivoted about its axis on thehousing.

5. An. incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the bottom surface ofthe hopper member is substantially concentric with the surface definedby the edge of the compaction member as it is pivoted about its axis.

6. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the entire Width of thehopper and the compaction member therein is somewhat less than the widthof the loading door to permit unencumbered passage of rubbish compactedthereby through the loading port and into the incinerator housing.

7. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the arcuate compactionmember is pivoted to fixed bearing means as a point wherein the distanceof its pivot point to the loading port is substantially equal to theradial length of the loading door.

8. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the abutting edges ofthe arcuate hopper and the lower edge of the loading port substantiallycoincide to provide a continuous transition from the arcuate hopper tothe interior of the incinerator housing.

9. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein rotation of the arcuatecompaction member about its axis to a position adjacent the lower edgeof the loading port provides a relationship whereby the arcuatecompaction member is substantially concentric to the surface generatedby movement of the loading door.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1965 Martin 214-23 2/1967Reilly 214-423 US. Cl. X.R.

